Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

GazerRise Fantastic!

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Fulke Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

HotToastyRag I never give spoilers, but Portrait in Black is one movie I'd love to spoil. I won't though, but I'll warn you in the best way I can. Everything in Portrait in Black promises to take the story in a certain direction, and had it gone in that direction, it would have been very good. I would have raved about the glamorous love story, the great suspense and melodramatic acting that puts you in the mood for another Peyton Place or Madame X. Instead, the gigantic build-up doesn't follow through, and it turns into a movie with a lousy love story, no suspense, and ridiculously melodramatic acting that makes you groan and roll your eyes.Lana Turner is married to Lloyd Nolan, and while he's deathly ill, she for some reason has no patience. The man is dying and in an enormous amount of pain, but she continues to be mean to him-and she's having a hot and heavy affair with his doctor, Anthony Quinn. I know Tony's gorgeous, but couldn't she wait a few months? Apparently not. Lana and Tony come up with a plan to kill Lloyd, but once he's dead, their amour isn't smooth sailing. Servants Ray Walston and Anna May Wong, daughter Sandra Dee, and business partner Richard Basehart are all suspicious of Lloyd's death-and who's hiding information from whom?I know, it sounds fantastic, but trust me on this one, it's incredibly disappointing. It's even more disappointing because you've been led on for two hours, investing your time and hopes in what you thought was going to be an epic classic. If you don't believe me, I guess you can rent it, but you won't be happy about it. Your only consolation will be getting to drool over Anthony Quinn.

terryhatcher1978 "Portrait in Black" is another of Ross Hunter's late '50s-early '60s productions for Universal-International. Like his others, this is a beautifully realized film with an excellent budget and meticulous attention paid to every detail, ensuring the cast looked their best and the story was brought about with taste and credibility.I've always liked this glossy, good-looking movie. However I must say I personally don't think Anthony Quinn was right for the role of the doctor. Gregory Peck, with his noble features and polished manner, would have brought an interesting dimension to that part.Beautiful sets, hair styles, clothes, cars, manners and language. A delight to behold. Enjoy.

MartinHafer Lana Turner plays a woman married to a rich but both emotionally and physically abusive rich jerk (Lloyd Nolan) who is also an invalid. Naturally she can't stand the way she's being treated and decides to do something permanent to remedy the situation. She and her doctor (Anthony Quinn) boyfriend she is keeping on the side decide to inject air into Nolan's veins to kill him--though I have learned this is NOT a viable way of killing someone, as it takes A LOT of air to do this, not the 'few air bubbles' you hear about in movies and on TV. So, at the outset the film has a strike against it for not getting its facts straight.Unexpectedly, after Nolan's death a lot of weird things start happening--almost like the ghost of Nolan is moving about the home. However, it really turns out to be the doings of a blackmailer--and they know too much about this death. To make things worse, Turner's character is a dope--and does things that could incriminate her--such as panicked phone calls to her lover almost immediately after the funeral! Again, chalk this up to poor writing, as any reasonable person would have tried harder to hide their tracks. Because of all this, the film would have been surprising if someone had NOT been trying to blackmail them! the rest of the film consists of the lovers trying to figure out who knows--and stop them permanently if they can.Despite some very bad acting by Turner (perhaps the badly written part for her just made her seem like a bad actress--especially the scene occurring at the 82 minute mark), some dumb moves by Quinn's character as well and a poorly conceived murder, the film does have some exciting moments. For example, the confrontation scene between Richard Basehart and Turner is well handled and exciting. But, unfortunately, due to some overly dramatic and soapy moments, these good ones are lost amid the glossy mess. Overall, I'd say this is a decent time-passer but sure could have been a lot better. Too bad the plot and acting just didn't seem all that important to the director.

mrsastor Portrait In Black is in many respects typical of the Ross Hunter films that rejuvenated Lana Turner's later career. If you're a fan of the genre, this one is quite entertaining, and in my opinion far superior to the previous year's terrible remake of Imitation of Life.Portrait In Black brings us a torrid soap opera revolving around the relationship between the wife of a wealthy shipping magnate, Sheila Cabot, and her husband's physician, Dr. David Rivera. Unable to bear having only a few stolen moments for the each other, they conspire to murder Sheila's husband so they can be together. They subsequently find themselves blackmailed and must determine who is the blackmailer and how they will extricate themselves from this web of danger that continues to keep them separated.As previous reviewers have pointed out, there are some rather silly aspects to the story, but these again are typical of the genre. For beginners, Sheila's husband Matt Cabot is said to have a hopeless terminal illness and to have been ill for many months. Thus, their motivation for murdering him is rather weak; he will soon die without any malicious intent on their part. If they really could not bear the wait, the idea proposed in the script, that they cannot just run away together because Matt Cabot would ruin Dr. Rivera's career and he would "never practice medicine again", is a rather unrealistic threat (although admittedly common in soap opera land). Dr. Rivera's home gives the impression he is already quite wealthy, it is not as though these two would be condemned to a life of poverty and want. These plot holes are exasperated by the poorly directed love scenes between David and Sheila, which consist of much-overplayed melodramatic panting, gasping, crying, and an inordinate and unnatural amount of chewing on one another's hands. Secondly, there are a few script blunders that could have been easily corrected. When Dr. Rivera requires Sheila to drive, he puts her in the car and has to explain what the gas and brake are for, yet in scene one we are told Sheila has been issued a learner's permit by the Department of Motor Vehicles. A learner's permit allows one to drive so long as another licensed driver is present, and one would obviously have to have mastered the basics of what makes the car go in order to be issued such a permit. The plot of device that Sheila "doesn't drive" would have been far more believable without the unnecessary learner's permit in the script. There are a number of similar absent-minded script errors here.Having said that, one does not watch a period Ross Hunter soaper for realism. One watches it for drama, and the lush and beautiful feel we expect from Mr. Hunter. In this regard, Portrait does not disappoint. Our setting is upper crust Nob Hill in San Francisco. The Cabot home, with the exception of the library being inexplicably painted black, is breathtaking. Lana Turner is stunning, and of course immaculately outfitted in high class fashions, shoes, hats, furs, and jewels at all times, as is Sandra Dee in her second role as Lana Turner's daughter (well, step-daughter in this one). Drama abounds and the at times weak script is handled expertly by the well seasoned cast, including Richard Basehart, Ray Walston, Virginia Grey, Anna Mae Wong, and John Saxon. While Anthony Quinn would have been ideally suited to his role of Dr. David Rivera if the film had been made fifteen years earlier, he is so badly addled by Michael Gordon's incompetent direction in this role it makes him seem a bit past it (with the exception of Pillow Talk, none of Mr. Gordon's films are particularly well directed).All things considered, this film easily meets its purpose, to entertain and is fun to watch…if you can find it. It is not out on DVD, is no longer available on VHS, and is seldom aired on television. But if you get the chance, it's well worth a watch.UPDATE: This film was release on DVD in Jan 2008, and it looks great!